PICS and IT DIDN'T HAPPEN

26. The Creature

The click sound makes me look the other side. Then I see the car door slowly open.

Not wasting time to even scream, I jump across Becca's lap. Our hands meet at the handle and we both pull it shut. Quickly I press down the lock.

"The fuck?" Tess says from the shotgun seat with wide eyes.

"This is why we ask the tourists to lock the doors and never open them during the tour," our driver says with an accent.

With my heart still beating crazily and my conscious mind trying to catchup with what just happened, I look outside the window over Becca's side.

The lion that had just accidentally opened our car door when its paw slipped into the handle is standing there, unaware of the significance of its own action.

A while ago Becca had opened her door to pick up the phone she dropped outside.

There were no predators feeling up our vehicle at the time. She forgot to lock the door afterwards and there's no automatic door locking system in the car we're in.

I wipe off the sweat from my forehead before looking at the driver. He's awfully calm about it. We're probably not the only tourists who has ever made this mistake.

When the pride tour is over we're back at the camp. Feeling all sweaty from almost having a heart attack I shower and change before joining my friends for lunch.

"I think I'm still shaking," Becca says. I nod, understandingly. There's something primal about the fear we felt when the door opened, giving those predators an access to us. Something that's hard to shake off easily.

After lunch it's time for the museum visit.

Most of the artifacts are encased in glass and were acquired from the local or nearby tribes. Wooden masks, utensils and stone weapons are some of the items displayed.

A beautiful rug catches my attention. It's a woven artwork. The daily lives of the local tribe are depicted through the weave patterns. I see the huts, women gathered outside preparing food, children running around and men returning with a kill: a dead leopard hanging upside down from a wooden pole, carried by two men drenched in blood.

Suddenly I feel a presence beside me and my instinct pushes my body back, away from the presence. But because of my poorly coordinated limbs I stumble. A familiar arm catches me again by my waist.

"You just keep falling into my arms, don't you?" Raylan says.

"Stop making me fall in the first place," I say, pushing him away.

"It's not my fault you keep falling for me," he says with a smirk. I glare at him. All the hormones from my last slip is already out of my system, in fact, currently I'm pumped up with adrenaline because of another crazed animal.

I pull out my phone and shake it in front of him. "Looks like you forgot a little about the photos. Want me to refresh your memory?"

His smile disappears. With pressed lips, he backs off.

"That's what I thought," I say and walk past him with the stride of a winner.

----

The lion grabs Becca's hand and pulls her out of the car. Her body is dragged away by the predator's teeth, like a kid dragging her doll over the floor, leaving behind a tail of dust cloud.

I run after the lion, but it's fast. Soon I lose sight of it. I don't know where it went. When I look around, it's night already. Then a cluster of glowing eyes blink open around me, closing in on me. I hear the laughs of the hyenas. Just when one of them opens its jaw and closes it around my ankle, I wake up.

In the darkness of the room, I can't see much. My senses pick up the ticking sound of the wall clock, the shallow breaths of a soundly asleep Hannah and a faint smell of grass.

Feeling disturbed by the dream, I take out the torch from the second drawer of the nightstand and leave my room quickly.

Not caring I might wake up my friends I hurriedly push open their room door and shine the light at their beds. They are both asleep, unperturbed by my nightmare. Sighing, I slowly close back the door.

And only when I turn around to leave, I realize I forgot my sweatshirt, and it's very cold outside. Hugging myself I start walking back when Raylan and Tony appear before me.

"What are you doing outside?" Raylan asks while taking off his jacket and draping it over me. I greet his body warmth from the jacket's inside with an exhale, before slipping my arms into the sleeves.

"Went to my friends' room."

"At this hour?"

Not feeling like sharing my nightmare with them, I answer him with a question. "Where are you guys coming from?"

"Not coming, going," Tony says, "Derek is having a room party."

Shaking my head in disapproval, I proceed.

"You go first," I hear Raylan say to Tony before he comes to my side.

"I don't need you to walk me to my room," I inform Raylan.

"You sure about that? I heard a lion visits the camp at night sometimes," he says.

I freeze on spot, and Raylan breaks into a laugh.

Knowing it was a joke, I relax a little. "How did you know?" I ask him.

"I overheard your driver talking to his buddy."

Great, so much for keeping our mishap a secret.

"You okay?" he asks.

"What? You're worried about me? This day sure is full of surprises."

"Not worried. I just want to know if you're still scared. If so, I plan on bringing that lion a deer treat tomorrow," Raylan says, grinning.

"Why a deer? He'll like you better," I say.

We soon reach my room. Near the door, I start to take off his jacket when he pulls it back up on me. "Keep it on," he says and leaves me behind.

Inside the room, I slip into my duvet and pull the jacket around me tightly before falling into a dreamless sleep.

End of chapter

A/N - If you guys missed any previous chapters remember to give them a read when you can :)

🦁 Catch you tomorrow.